Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda
by KelseyO
Summary: Ever wish Paige had stayed in the room after the spectacular, historymaking, PaigeSOloved it Lexicon of Love kiss? Me too.
1. Chapter 1

So, yeah, I have the Lexicon of Love epi on my ipod and I've watched it a million times, each time wishing that Paige had stayed in the room, you know? So this is what I wish had happened kind of, although I am sure the Degrassi writers would have come up with something a bit better. But who cares, it's fan fiction, right? So enjoy, this is either going to be a oneshot or a continued story, depending on what you guys think. So read, review, and do something else that starts with the letter "r."

* * *

"Paige."

The blonde stopped with her hand on the doorknob and slowly turned her head, not wanting to deal with what had just happened.

"Can you please talk to me?" I asked, my eyes set intently, pleadingly, on hers.

Paige took several breaths, trying to form words. "Alex, I--I can't--I'm not--" She became silent as my arm extended to offer her my hand. She hesitantly took it and let me pull her onto the bed. We sat next to each other with our backs propped up against Paige's abundant collection of pillows.

"So, are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" I finally asked, pointing my gaze directly at Paige.

She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins. "I don't know, okay?" She didn't speak for several moments. "I guess I'm just…I'm scared." Her last two words were so quiet that I almost didn't hear them. Paige buried her face in her knees.

"Paige," I began, resting my left hand lightly on her right shoulder. "I won't lie to you, the world isn't too fond of the gays. But listen to me--" I leaned closer to her and whispered into her ear: "I would _never _let anything happen to you." I draped my arm around Paige's upper back and pulled her close. At first I could feel an obvious stiffness throughout her body, but it slowly vanished and she was soon leaning against me.

I began lightly brushing my fingertips along Paige's upper arm, deeply inhaling the scent of her shampoo when she rested her head on my shoulder. I immediately started to zone out--between her scent drifting up my nose and the feeling of her body against mine, I was more calm than I had ever been in my life.

When Paige's breathing evened out and slowed, I realized that she had fallen asleep. I carefully scootched us both down into her bed, trying desperately not to wake her. I reached over her and grabbed the comforter, pulling it over both of us. I was used to sleeping on my right side so I turned away from her, breaking all contact.

It immediately felt wrong, so I turned back to my other side. Paige's left hand slowly reached out and she moved closer, her arm hanging over my side and her face buried in my neck. I moved even closer, placing my right hand on her upper arm and stroking it with my thumb.

I was half-asleep when I sub-consciously put my arms around her waist and pulled her against me, holding her tightly, getting high off of her warmth. She nuzzled into my neck, her right cheekbone and forehead pressing against my skin.

It was at this moment--a moment of mutual perfection and peace, of not having a care in the world except for each other--that I fell asleep with Paige Michalchuk in my arms.

When I woke up I was completely disoriented. I knew immediately that I wasn't in my bed, yet I was outrageously comfortable. That's when it all came rushing back--the dancing, my house, the kiss.

I looked over at Paige. My left arm was still around her shoulders and hers around my waist. I was suddenly overcome with the urge to kiss her. And when I say urge, I don't mean "It would be kind of nice if I could." I mean something like "Good God, I _need _to kiss her really, really badly."

As if sensing the raging battle inside my head, Paige's eyes suddenly blinked open.

"Hey, sleepy head," I said softly. I could clearly see her change of expression as she too remembered last night. But instead of jumping off of the bed and bolting like I had expected, she simply smiled tiredly and snuggled against me.

"Paige, aren't we gonna be late for school?"

She didn't move with the exception of speaking. "People get sick. People stay home."

I dramatically dropped my jaw, though I really was surprised. "You're going to lie to Mrs. H. and skip?"

"No, _we _are."

I looked down at her, a small grin on my face. "I knew there was a reason why I liked you so much."

She looked up and locked eyes with me, my pools of brown mixing with her bright spheres of blue. We both leaned in, neither realizing it at the time, and pressed our mouths together.

Compared with last night's, our kiss was amazing. Paige was monumentally less hesitant and we were both into it…very, _very _into it. We kissed slowly and carefully, working to make every one perfect.

After a moment--an extremely lengthy moment--we finally broke apart, not breaking eye contact. Suddenly, slowly, she put her left hand on my abdomen, then slowly let it drift up into my shirt. She didn't go any further than the bottom of my ribs, but her blazing touch gave me chills. She began caressing the skin of my stomach with her fingers, then slid her hand around my side to my back.

I brought her closer until our noses were almost touching and our legs were pressed together. I gently pulled her hair behind her neck and kissed the side of it, trying to cover every inch.

Suddenly we both stopped and locked eyes once again. This time we embraced, her arms around my waist and mine around her shoulders, and joined our lips in what we wished could be an eternity.

And hell, maybe it would be.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Oh my God, please, stop!"_

Paige, Marco and I all simultaneously screamed and covered our eyes as a gleaming knife was suddenly thrust into the hysterical woman's chest. Paige clutched my arm as I held onto a pillow for dear life.

We were sitting in Paige's living room, watching a horror movie in the pitch dark, alone in the house. I know--brilliant planning on Paige's part.

She and I burst out laughing at the image of Marc's humungo bowl of popcorn upside-down on the floor, caused by him jumping at the movie. He glared at us, but that just made us laugh harder. We finally started breathing again when he rose from the armchair to refill his bowl, or maybe just to leave the room.

"Man, I didn't know Marco was such a horror wimp," I commented, saying it just loud enough so that he could hear me from kitchen.

Paige gave me a small, playful shove. "Look who's talking, Miss Pillow-Suffocator."

"Let me know when you're done with my arm," I shot back, animatedly massaging it when she let go.

"What can I say, you're just too comfy for your own good," she replied, grinning. She put her arm around me, pulled me closer and kissed me.

We were about to go horizontal when my cellphone rang. I gave Paige one big kiss and dug the phone out of my pocket, Paige still half on top of me.

"Hello?"

"Lexi, hey."

Shit, it was Jay. "What do you want, Jay?" Paige made a face.

"What, I can't give my bestest friend a ring?"

"Not when you're you and your bestest friend is me," I replied, wishing he would hang up. "Now leave me alone."

I was about to hang up when he started talking again. "Come on, you know you love hanging out with me. It's not like you have any other friends."

Paige, starting to become impatient, began kissing my neck and tracing the line of skin between my pants and my shirt. "Paige…" I mumbled without realizing it, my eyes closing.

Jay's voice brought me back into reality. "Michalchuk?" he shouted incredulously, letting out a laugh. "You're hanging out with _Michalchuk_?"

"Actually, it's gone a bit farther than that…" I replied absentmindedly, wanting desperately to hang up and makeout with Paige.

Jay scoffed into her ear. "I can't believe this!"

"What, you never thought anyone else would ever like me?"

"No--I never thought you'd voluntarily be that bitch's bitch."

I didn't speak for a moment. "Go screw yourself," I finally said, quietly and coldly. I heard only a small "You're gonna regret--" before I snapped my phone shut and tossed it to the floor. I wrapped my arms around Paige and kissed her full on the lips, pulling her against me.

"Wow, maybe Jay should call more often," Paige commented through my lips.

"Or he could go die," I replied, sliding my hands into her back pockets.

"I vote plan B."

As we kissed I began to wonder where Marco was, but I smiled against Paige's mouth when I thought I heard tiptoes traveling behind the couch and up the stairs. Good ol' Marco.

* * *

"And then, when she started talking in IM language!"

Paige and I were walking down the street, arms linked, making fun of a group of grade nines that we had passed in the hall that day.

"OMG," Paige mimicked in a sqeaky voice, "I, like, _so _cannot believe she, like, _said _that, like!"

"OMG, LOL," came a sarcastic voice from behind us. We both turned, my smile immediately disappearing.

"Hey, ladies," Jay greeted us, acting like Mr. Friendly.

"What," I replied, my tone flat and uncaring. Paige glared at him.

"Whoa, chill," he said, holding up his hands. "I just wanna talk."

I didn't believe him at all. "Listen, Jay," I began, speaking like a kindergarten teacher. "I don't like you anymore. I have a new friend now that won't get me into trouble or be a bad influence on me. You and I are not going to hang out ever again." I crossed my arms as a final gesture, but I didn't feel half as confident as I sounded…if I even sounded confident.

Jay started to speak but Paige stepped forward. "You heard what she said. Leave her alone or you'll have me to deal with."

As Paige's expression grew more and more satisfied, Jay's became angrier and angrier. "I can't believe you're completely ditching me! Lexi--after all we've been through? You can't just pretend I don't exist."

"Watch me," I snapped coldly, turning away. Jay roughly grabbed my arm and yanked me back, but let go when Paige's hand shot across his face, leaving a hint of red and making a huge smacking sound.

"Don't touch her," she growled quietly, putting emphasis on each individual sylible.

Jay put his hand to his cheek, his face masked with silent fury. "You're dead, Michalchuk," he announced as if it were the forecast. "Dead." And with that he huffed away, disappearing down an alley.

We began walking again, this time in silence.

After a while, I finally spoke up. "Paige, as much as I love to see Jay in pain, you shouldn't have done that."

"Hon, he was about to get violent. I didn't want him to hurt you."

"But I don't want him to hurt _you_, either."

"Come on, Alex, those were empty threats," she replied, flipping her hand down in a danger-schmanger way. "Nothing's going to happen," she continued brightly, kissing me on the cheek. "I promise."

I didn't say anything.

_Never make a promise you can't keep._

_

* * *

_

Okay, so there were a whopping 16 reviews for the first chapter, how 'bout you guys break the record for this one. It would make me really really happy...so just read and enjoy and let me know how I'm doing. Did I mention that you should review?


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, so here's chapter three. I gotta worn you, it gets kind of intense and there's some minor language, but I think you guys can handle it. Let me know what you think, please review a lot--the first chapter still has the most reviews. Although, you guys did do a pretty good job getting chapter two pretty close. Oh well, enjoy this. It's two pages' worth, so you better enjoy it. ; )

* * *

Jay backed Paige into the concrete wall, smiling nastily when the back of her head hit it. Her breathing quickened as her body tensed, waiting for him to attack. He gave her a cold glare as he brought his fist back, then squeezed her eyes shut as it shot through the air. It was only a matter of seconds before his knuckles blasted into her face…

I awoke with a start. I could feel sweat all over my body, which was sore and tired from tossing and turning all night. I glanced to my right and breathed a sigh of relief to see Paige sleeping soundly next to me, She was lying on her stomach, her right arm wrapped around mine as I lay on my back, my chest heaving for oxygen.

I had had this same nightmare every night since Jay had delivered his threat, and each time it seemed even more terrifyingly realistic. My eyes teared up at the mere thought of Jay getting violent with her, but I wiped them away and turned toward her.

My shifting my body caused Paige to stir, and she peered at me in the dark through half-asleep eyes.

"You okay?" she asked quietly. I had a feeling she knew I was having trouble sleeping.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I didn't fool either of us.

She turned her body so she was on her side and placed her right hand on my cheek, caressing my skin with amazing gentleness. "Hon, you can tell me if something's wrong." She paused, bringing me closer and brushing my hair with the side of her thumb. "You know that."

"I do."

"So tell me."

I hesitated, debating how I could possibly explain my worries to her without sounding completely paranoid. "I'm just scared about…about you and Jay." Damnit, my eyes were welling up again. "I don't want him to hurt you."

She kissed me on my cheek, jawbone and chin, then paused with her face inches from mine. "Hon, don't worry about it. I won't let him do anything to me." She kissed me on the lips, her right hand still resting on the side of my face. "Besides, there's only about five minutes every day that I'm not with you, so I'd say the chances of him catching me alone are slim to none."

She kissed me again and I kissed her back strongly, my arms wrapped around her. "I know." Another kiss. "It's that five minutes I'm afraid of."

We kissed again but there was no more conversation. There was, however, the eventual loss of shirts and pajama pants as we felt the pure heat of each other's skin.

Who knew Paige Michalchuk tasted so sweet.

* * *

I slowly became aware of the fact that there was a quiet roaring coming from outside the house. I cautiously blinked my eyes open and peered out the window. It was pouring rain outside, and a flash of lightning lit up the sky before I could look away.

I rolled over, armed with a smile that would say "Why, no, Paige, I had absolutely no more nightmares last night," but the other half of the bed was empty. I sat up and glanced at the bedside table--there was a note in Paige's horrifically neat handwriting. _Went to go get breakfast--you like The Dot's bagels, right? See you soon. Love, Paige._

Paige went out in a storm to get my favorite bagels for me. Ahh, the things that made my heart melt. I was halfway through forming a smile when I froze, my blood turning cold in my veins.

Jay's favorite hangout was in the pool hall. Which happened to be right next to The Dot.

I pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, completely forgot to grab my rain jacket and bolted out the door. I had to find Paige.

* * *

I was a few blocks away when my cellphone beeped, its way of announcing that I been sent a text. Paige's number appeared on the screen. I attacked the green button and anxiously waited for the message to manifest itself. My eyes nervously scanned the words. _Alex, I need help. Jay has me, wont let me go. He says you know where to find him. Please hurry._

Suddenly I had all the energy in the world. My speed increased two-fold and my feet carried me to the front door of the building. I ripped it open and quickly scanned the room, but there was no one in sight. I wasn't discouraged--I knew about the secret room in the back where Jay and his friends played poker.

I navigated through the room with nothing but adrenaline driving me, then I burst through the Employees Only door, my jaw clenched in anticipation.

I was immediately met with a punch to my face, sending me back out the door. I clutched onto a nearby table and scrambled to my feet, my eyes widening.

Jay was standing before me, his face expressing a calm anger that scared the hell out of me. That's when I noticed what was in his hand, which hung at his side--Paige's pink Moto Razr. This had been a setup.

Jay followed my gaze and let out a small laugh. "Yeah, it's like that. I swiped it from her purse during our little altercation the other day. Figured it might come in handy." He tossed it onto the table and took a step toward me. "Guess I was right."

He must have seen the anticipation in my eyes. "If you try to run, you'll never make it." He took another step forward as I backed up.

I took a chance--I whipped around, prepared to high-tail it out of there. Once again, Jay was right. He grabbed my hair and yanked me back as I let out a small cry, stumbling into him. I tried to give him a shove, but he grabbed my wrists with surprising strength and held me still.

"You see, I don't give a _shit _about your girlfriend," he began, emphasizing the swear as a means of insulting Paige further. "I just happen to be really, really pissed off that you would choose her over me." I struggled against him but he began to push me to the floor. "So I've decided to show her how damn angry I am over the entire thing by going after the one thing she cares about most."

I let out a little gasp and my eyes widened in fear.

He let out another laugh. "Yeah, I know--you wouldn't think someoene like Michalchuk would actually have enough heart in her to care about _any_thing. I guess it's just surprises all around."

He continued to push me down until he had me pinned to the floor. He pressed my hands to the floor with his and kneed me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me.

"I think it was pretty brilliant planning for a guy like me," he continued, following his statement with a hit to my face. "I made you both think I wanted to hurt Paige, and then I used her as bait--it reeled you right in."

"Jay, get off!" I shouted, and I brought my shin up to his groin as hard as I could. He yelped with pain and jumped off of me, hunched over. I sprang up and darted for the door, but he grabbed my ankle and I came crashing to the floor. My head hit the hard linoleum floor as my arm was sandwiched between it and my body. Pain ripped through my arm as it twisted at an akward angle.

I could feel blood dripping down my forehead as he dragged me further int the kitchen. I knew he was trying to get me away from the front windows, and I clawed against the tile to attemp to slow my progress. I might have been able to do more, had I not been slowly fading into unconsciousness. I weakly kicked my foot, and to my surprise, Jay let go, probably thinking I was out cold. I frantically crawled forward, trying to ignore the horrible pain coursing through my arm.

My eyes shot to the front of the room as a passerby caught my attention, and vice versa. What were the chances it was Paige? If they were slim to none, I was the luckiest person on earth.

Her expression immediately changed for the worst when she took in the scene. She wrenched open the door and rushed toward Jay, digging through her purse. She ended up producing a can of pepper spray (good ol' Paige), aimed, and fired. She waited until Jay was on the floor with his hands covering his eyes before tossing the canister aside.

Paige then crouched down next to me, immediately eyeing my arm. She gently rolled me onto my back, being as careful as possible so she wouldn't cause me too much pain. When she softly touched my arm I knew it should have hurt, but I was nearly unconscious so I felt almost nothing. She reached over to the table and dialled three numbers on her phone, her eyes more scared than I had ever seen before.

As she clutched my hand in hers I tried to squeeze it, crying out as a flare of pain reminded me about my broken bone. Paige caressed the hand with her thumb…I could see her eyes getting wet and shiny. She then put the phone on the floor without hanging up and put her free hand on my cheek.

All those times in stories and movies when the characters peacefully drift into unconsciousness are complete bull. It fucking hurts.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so this is a flashback chapter, featuring none other than our own Jay Hogart. I don't know when his birthday is on the show so I just made him fourteen and neglected to mention the year or whatever. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing, I love getting feedback, as corny as that sounds. Keep going, and enjoy this chapter.

* * *

A fourteen-year-old Jay lay curled up in his bed, his eyes closed, trying to ignore the screaming coming from down the hall. He knew it was only a matter of time before one of them stormed off to blow off steam. Last time it had been his dad, who slammed the door so hard it woke him out of a dead sleep.

He knew his parents loved each other. The guidance counselor at school told him that they just didn't know how to explain how they felt in words, that they didn't know how to deal with their anger. He decided it was easier to go along with that.

There was an upside to the neglect that resulted from his parents' bickering. He carefully opened his bedroom door and tiptoed down the hall and out into the garage. Quietly positioning an old stepstool under a high shelf, he stepped to the top rung and felt around. When his fingers hit a box he stopped and brought it down from the shelf.

He set it on the work bench that had been unused for years and returned the stool to exactly the same position it had been in before. He didn't want to cause any fights. He opened the box, his pulse quickening in anticipation. He removed a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.

As he sat under the porch, inhaling the heavenly smoke, he listened to his parents' latest argument. He could tell it was something about money, based on how loud his dad was getting. His dad had always had a short temper concerning money. If a fifty cents went missing from the food money jar, Jay was grounded one week for every day it wasn't replaced--even if he hadn't taken it in the first place. He had no need for money; once every few weeks he would steal a cigarette or two from his parents' secret stash and sell it to the highest bidder. Cigarettes were popular in middle school.

He dropped the cigarette butt when it burned his fingers. He realized that he had already smoked the entire thing, that it was getting dark, and his parents had called it quits for that night. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the side of the house, taking deep breaths of the cold night air. He could see his breath but he was not shivering; he didn't get cold easily. Maybe it was one of the many survival instincts that came with druggie, loud, violent parents. That way, he could stay outside as long as he need to in order to avoid becoming a target of his father's fists. He shuddered at the thought. He still had bruises from the one time he had gotten in the way.

All he had done was enter the room.

* * *

"Hey, Sam, you wanna come over tonight?"

Jay and his best friend, Sam, were sitting at their lunch table. Since Jay had left his friends to hang out with her, they had stopped including him in anything. That was fine with him, though, because he had developed a crush on her.

She gave Jay an incredulous look. "What about your parents?" She knew about his mom and dad--the only other person besides himself and the school guidance counselor.

"They won't be home. My dad's going to a poker game and my mom's probably spending the night with some other guy." He laughed when she raised her eyebrows, surprised that he would make such an accusation.

"She's cheating on him?"

"I don't know, probably." He paused, not wanting to believe it for himself. "She's been 'going out with friends' a lot lately."

She thought about it and smiled. "Okay, I'll be there."

* * *

Jay was nervous and anxious at the same time. This was the first time Sam had ever come over his house, and he wanted it to count. He had given her a brief tour and gotten them both sodas, and now they were sitting on the couch, watching a random HBO movie.

They were sitting pretty close together and he had managed to rest his arm on the back of the couch, just behind Sam. He kept on sneaking glances at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking, if she felt the same way he did. He eventually leaned away from her to grab the volume remote, causing his arm to slide off the couch and around Sam's shoulders. As he straightened he didn't remove his arm.

His heart skipped a beat when she looked at him, her face unreadable. He nervously began to move away but she proceeded to lean into him, her head resting against his shoulder and her hand on his leg.

Finally came the most cliché moment of Jay's life. The couple in the movie they were watching began to kiss, the camera angle showing everything that was happening between the two mouths.

Jay and Sam happened to glance at each other simultaneously, and suddenly their lips were touching. She turned her body to face him, leaning back slowly and pulling on his shirt to take him with her. After a few moments of not knowing what the hell he was doing, Jay opened his mouth slightly and began to use his tongue like he had seen on the movie. _Everyone should watch that movie, _he thought as she did the same.

The two were so lost in their kiss that they didn't hear the door open or a bottle crash to the floor. Jay felt someone grab him by the back of his collar and yank him off the couch, then throw him to the floor. He watched in horror as his dad seized Sam's arm and thrust her toward the door.

"So, my boy Jay finally found a slut!" he cackled drunkly, shoving her against the door.

"Shut the hell up!" Jay shouted, scrambling to his feet and stepping toward his dad.

"Don't you dare tell me to shut up, kid," his dad roared back. "I can make you wish you'd never been born."

Jay laughed in spite of the situation. "I hate to break it to you, but I've been wishing that since third grade!"

He knew that stung his dad, but he had been counting on that. His dad whipped around and stumbled toward Jay, arms out, ready to strike.

"Sam, get out of here!" Jay yelled to her, grabbing the phone as he sprinted to his room. His hands trembled as he secured the three locks he had installed on his door, jumping at every fierce pound on the other side of the thin piece of wood. His profit from selling cigarettes had allowed him to buy the three best locks he could find.

Jay lit the extra cigarette he had kept in an empty glue stick canister. He couldn't care less if his room smelled like smoke--it's not like his parents would notice anyway.

He let out a small laugh as he thought of the word. Parents. He could hardly call his mom and dad parents. What had they done for him, besides give him the means and opportunity to try virtually every drug out there? And they had left out dozens of empty beer bottles that allowed him to experience his first buzz.

They weren't parents. They were just there.

Jay tried to hold back his tears as he booked a motel room with his mom's credit card, the card that he had stolen months ago and still was not missed.

Just like he wouldn't be.


	5. Chapter 5

Okay. So. For the record and for easier storytelling purposes, Sam's official last name is Pierce. Nothing significant about it, I just didn't want to keep on saying "Sam's mom," "Sam's mom," "Sam's mom," over and over again. Please keep reviewing, it makes me sad that the number of reviews continuously dwindles with each chapter. But thank you very much to those who are kind enough to drop me one, I greatly enjoy reading whatcha guys gotta say. So enjoy this chapter, sorry it took so long. I just wanted to get it kind of...right...you know?

* * *

Jay called Sam's house as soon as he got to the motel. He just needed to make sure she was okay, to make sure she got out of there before anything serious went down.

He kicked the bed in a sudden burst of anger. The best moment of his life had been ruined by his dad. Why did he always have to screw everything up? Plus he had dragged Sam into it. Jay was not going to forgive him this time.

Jay surfaced from his thoughts when she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Sam? It's me."

"Oh my God, are you okay? I never should've left you there, your dad could've killed you!"

"Don't worry, it's not your fault," he replied in as calm and soothing of a voice as he could muster. "I never should have brought you over in the first place. My parents are unpredictable, I should have known my dad would come home early for more booze or money."

"Hey," Sam interrupted in an even more soothing voice. "None of this is your fault, Jay. This is all on your parents. Don't blame yourself."

Jay's eyes went to the floor, though there were no eyes to avert. "I guess."

After a moment of silence Sam spoke again. "Hey, do you want me to come over?"

"It's up to you. Do you really still want to be with me after my dad called you a slut?"

"We don't know that for sure," she argued in a sarcastic tone. "He could be talking about some girl you have on the side."

Jay couldn't make himself laugh at that one. "If you want to come over, you can. I'd like that," he added without thinking. He could see her blush in his mind.

As he hung up, he couldn't help but ask himself how someone could have feelings for him at this point. He realized how amazing Sam was with understanding everything that happened. He wasn't sure if _anything_ would make her leave at this point.

* * *

As soon as he opened the door Sam's arms wrapped around him and her mouth pushed against his. Though he loved it, he was taken off-guard.

"Whoa, Sam, what's going on?" he asked her as she moved them toward the bed. His legs folded when they hit the edge and soon he was lying in the middle of it.

"I thought we'd pick up where we left off." Jay couldn't argue with that. Now was his chance to take back something his dad had robbed him of.

Jay turned over so that he was on top of Sam. He couldn't stop himself from pushing up her shirt ever so slightly as they languidly kissed. He knew he wanted her. He would do everything he could to get her.

He began fingering the buttons of her jeans but she put her hand on his and brought it up to her stomach. He took her gesture the wrong way and slid his hand into her shirt, dragging it along her side and abdomen. She twisted away, but he thought she was just reacting to pleasure. Jay took his shirt off as he had seen men do in the movies and pressed himself against her, both hands now at her sides, inside her shirt.

Sam began to squirm and she gently pushed him away. "I'm sorry, Jay, I don't want to go that far."

"But I thought you liked me," he said, going in for another kiss. She drew away from it.

"I do, but we're just starting out. I don't want to sleep with you on the first day that we get together."

Jay stayed silent for a moment, but he didn't break eye contact. Suddenly he spoke. "You don't really care about me."

"What?" she asked incredulously. "Of course I do."

"No, you don't. You've just been playing me to amuse yourself."

Sam could feel her eyes tearing up. "What are you _talking_ about? I have feelings for you, I really do. I just want to take it slow."

Jay let out a laugh, one that didn't quite sound right. "Yeah, right. You don't have to lie to me. You don't want a screw-up with a non-existant family for a boyfriend.."

"That's not--"

Jay interrupted her, rising to his feet. "It's okay. You don't have to explain to me, I get it."

"Jay!" Sam interjected pleadingly. She also rose from the bed and tried to hug him, to kiss him, to do anything, but he pushed her away.

"Get out," he growled, coldy glaring at her. When she didn't move, he watched as his right hand whipped across her face, releasing a few tears and a cry from Sam. She ran from the room, slamming the door as she exited.

Jay stared at the back of the door for a long time. How had that happened? One minute they were kissing, the next he was hurting her. What was wrong with him? He kicked the bed again, knocking the mattress to the side so a few inches were hanging off of the box spring. He ripped open the sheets and collapsed on the bed, squeezing his eyes shut. He was hurting the one person he cared about, selling drugs and using violence to blow off steam.

He was turning into his dad.

* * *

Sam thought long and hard as she sat in the back of the cab. As hurt as she was about what Jay had said, something in the back of her mind told her that something was wrong, that he wasn't himself. As she thought about his violent outbursts and harsh words, and how they seemed to come in waves, she remembered something she had seen on television. It had been a commercial for a medication that treated bipolar disorders. The symptoms that the doctor had listed during the advertisement seemed to fit Jay's.

She needed to get him help.

"I was wondering if you could tell me about bipolar disorders."

Sam had immediately gone to her mother with her suspicions. Mrs. Pierce was a psychologist and had been for ten years, and she was also the one person Sam thought she could talk to about it.

Mrs. Pierce removed her glasses and set them on the kitchen table. "Well, the disorder itself is when one has sudden, dramatic mood swings, oftentimes involving violence. It is usually caused by unstable living situations or authorities, such as abusive or substance-abusing parents, and also drugs."

Though Mrs. Pierce continued explaining the disorder, Sam had heard enough. As soon as there was a pause in her mother's sentence she stopped her.

"Thanks, mom. I don't need to hear anymore."

Her mother peered into her eyes with the slightest hint of suspicion visible. "Sam, why did you ask?"

Sam's gaze went to the floor. She hadn't really wanted to tell anyone what she thought yet, or for her mom to catch on that there was something more so quickly.

"Sam? If something's wrong, you should tell me."

She hesitated. "I think--I think my friend is bipolar." She waited for her mother's reaction, not looking away from the floor.

"Have you spoken to your friend's parents about this?"

"They're not those kinds of parents."

"I see."

Sam waited a beat. "What should I do?"

Mrs. Pierce thought for a moment. "Well, I might suggest you try to talk to him, and if that doesn't work, I can arrange for him, as a professional psychologist, to start seeing a therapist."

"But what about his parents? Won't you need their permission?"

"Not if it is my professional opinion that your friend needs help."

Sam sighed nervously. "I think I'm going to call him."

Her mother gave her a small nod and rose, exiting the room to give Sam some privacy. Sam dialed Jay's cellphone number with slightly trembling fingers, not knowing what to expect from the other end. Her heart raced faster with each ring. She wondered what she was going to say to him. _I forgive you for sticking your hands up my shirt, slapping me and throwing me out of your motel room, because I think you're bipolar. My mom is going to set you up with a therapist so you can get better and not hurt people anymore so then we can be together. Sound good?_

_

* * *

_

So I hope you liked it. If you think I'm taking the story in the completely wrong direction, let me know and I can always branch off with a different version. The next chapter will most definitely go back to Alex and Paige because I miss them. Please times a million and one review because those are what I thrive on as a writer. Even if you don't like it at all, I don't care, just tell me! Suggest stuff! Give me a cyber slap in the face because it was so horrible! On the other hand, if you thought it was a great chapter, tell me that too. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when people say nice things.

In case you hate people who beg for reviews...that paragraph up there was not me begging. That was me asking using strong emotions. Two very different things. I just thought I'd point that out.

If you wanted to know, my email is So if you wanna talk about Degrassi (I like talking about Degrassi) then send me a message and we can gush together. "_Sound good?_" Enjoy.


	6. Chapter 6

What's up, people. I decided to jump right into another Palex chapter, just cuz I really missed them after writing about Jay and Sarah for two chapters. Like always, I hope you like it, let me know if you do or don't. I very muchly (yeah, I know) appreciated the reviews that I got for #5, so keep them coming. So enjoy a Paige and Alex chapter...I tried to cram in as much Alex sarcasm as I could, cuz it's really really fun. Hey, I have a question--for those of you who write Degrassi fanfics, do you type 'Pagie' by accident a lot? Because I do every single time. Who knows, it's probably just me...but if it isn't, please let me know I'm not alone in the world of name-typing disabilities. Enough about me, how about Alex and Paige? Hey, I did it right that time!

* * *

There was something on the side my head. I could feel it. It was moving back and forth or up and down or whatever direction floats your boat. It was gentle enough to not freak me out, but I mean, if there was something on my head, I wanted to know what it was.

I slowly opened my eyes, only to close them again when they were greeted with bright sunlight. I waited a few seconds, then tried again. Through a minor haze I could see that I was in a bed in a whitish room, with tons of machinery scattered everywhere. I groaned as I realized what was going on.

I freaking hate hospitals.

I felt something rubbing up against my left side and looked over. Paige was lying on the hospital bed with me and stroking my head, which was what I had been feeling.

"Alex, you're awake!" I could hear the excitement and relief in her voice, although she kept her volume moderately low.

"Yep," I replied, forcing my eyes open when I realized they had closed again. Whatever they had me on was trying to persuade me to go back under--and it was working, might I add. I began to stretch but winced in pain as my right arm punished me for moving. It was surrounded by a bluish-colored cast and hanging in a sling, although it was currently resting at my side.

"Hon, try not to move that. The doctor said it's broken." She paused for a second and began to caress my good arm. "Do you remember what happened?"

"What, you mean Jay using you as bait to get me alone so he could beat me up? Yeah, I guess so."

Paige threw me a look. "You shouldn't joke about this, Alex. Jay broke your arm, and he could have done much worse if he'd had the time."

"Where is he?"

At this her expression changed to one of slight satisfaction. "I sprayed him pretty good back at The Breakroom, so he had to get special treatment for his eyes."

I let out a weak laugh. "I wish I could've seen his face after you hit him with the spray. I can see the commercial now: _Thinking your girlfriend is in trouble only to find out that it was a setup: $0. Operation after the person who set you up breaks your arm: A lot of dollars. Getting to see said person post-pepper spray: priceless_."

Even Paige laughed at that one. I had a feeling that by this point she knew she couldn't stop me from being my usual sarcastic self.

"How long have I been out?"

"Not that long, actually. It all happened early this morning, and right now it's about two in the afternoon." She snuggled in close to me, clutching my arm like she had done during the movie the other night.

There was a moment of silence before I spoke again. "How long have you been here?"

She kissed my shoulder. "The whole time."

I felt a surge of gratitude and happiness that she cared that much about me. "You didn't have t--"

"Oh, shut up, Alex," she interrupted. Yes, I did have to, because you're my girlfriend and you got hurt and you're in the hospital." She ended her sentence with a small kiss on my cheek, then rested her head on my shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I think these beds are ridiculously comfy."

"I think it all depends on who you're sharing them with." I blushed at my own sappy and pathetically cheesy comment, and Paige laughed again.

"Wow, who knew Alex Nuñez was such a romantic?"

"It'll be our little secret," I replied, letting my eyes close. It didn't take long for me to go under again, between Paige being curled up next to me and whatever the hell they had me on working its magic.

I just wasn't sure which drug was more powerful.

* * *

"Excuse me, Miss Nuñez?"

Dr. Marshall, the doctor who had been checking on me periodically throughout the past twenty-four hours, entered the room. Paige and I were watching some soap opera on the TV in the corner of my hospital room, laughing our heads off at the stupidity of the plot and the horrid acting.

"Um, yeah?" I asked, a smile on my face from having just witnessed the annoying main character get bitch-slapped by her best friend's boyfriend (Main Character had been trying to convince Best Friend's Boyfriend to cheat on Best Friend, but he was such a good guy that he refused, so she tried to kiss him).

"I need to speak with you about Mr. Hogart."

This grabbed Paige's attention as well as mine, "What about?" I asked somewhat nervously.

"The local police have arrested him for assault, but his lawyer is having him plead mental incompetance. If the jury agrees at court, he will go to a therapist or institution instead."

I frowned, not understanding. "Wait, what do you mean 'mental incompetance?' I know he's an idiotic psycho, but not that way."

Dr. Marshall glanced at what I assumed were his notes on Jay and the case. "You are friends with Mr. Hogart, correct?"

"_Was _friends," I immediately corrected.

"What I mean is, you have known him for a while."

"Yeah," I replied regrettingly, wishing I could answer otherwise.

"Did he ever tell you that he has bipolar disorder?"

I didn't know what to say. The whole bipolar thing explained why Jay could be such a jerk at random times…but it was still a shock. Did that mean that he hadn't been in control of himself during the Breakroom fiasco?

"Now you have some options," Dr. Marshall continued after letting me have a few moments to digest the information. "You can either press charges and leave his fate to be decided in court, or you can drop them and he will go directly into therapy and onto medication." He paused again, guessing that I was overwhelmed with the choice. "If you decide to keep the charges and take him to court, there is a fifty-fifty chance that he will still end up going to therapy. The other possibility is him getting sentenced to jail time."

I thought for a moment, feeling Paige's hand gently squeeze mine. "How much jail time, exactly?"

"That would be for the judge to decide."

"How long do I have to decide?"

Dr. Marshall glanced at his notes again. "Two weeks. While you're thinking about it, Mr. Hogart will be staying in the town jail."

I looked up at the ceiling, my mind going haywire over what I had been told. Dr. Marshall gave Paige a small, empathetic smile, then left the room. Yeah, like he knew what I was going through right now.

There was a minute of heavy silence between me and Paige before she spoke. "This is unbelievable," she commented quietly. "I mean, I was surprised when Craig got diagnosed…but Jay?" She intertwined her fingers with mine, her other hand lightly tracing designs on the back of it. "Do you know what you're going to do?"

I let out an empty laugh. "Not remotely," I replied, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. _Way to go, Alex. You found out that the bastard has a mental problem, and now you feel bad for him_. I glanced at her with an expressionless face. "He either gets the punishment he deserves or the help he needs." I paused, the lump coming back. "I just wish it wasn't up to me."

* * *

I just realized that I don't remember how I spelled Sarah's name in the last chapter, so please ignore it if I switch from 'Sarah' to 'Sara,' however unprofessional that is of me. I hope you liked the chapter. Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing or favoritized me or my story (my story says 'thank you' too, by the way). I honestly wasn't sure how you guys would react to the last chapter, so I'm glad those who reviewed thought it was good. I don't know how long it's going to take to make chapter 7, so please bear (or is it 'bare?') with me. If you have any suggestions for the storyline, feel free to message me, review, or email me at If you don't want anyone else to see what you have to say, I would suggest the first one or the third one. 


	7. Chapter 7

I am really really really times a million point five sorry this chapter took so long. I know where I want the story to go and what the plot is going to be and stuff (and stuff is my favorite and most overused phrase) but sometimes I can't decide how I want those things to happen. So, once again, I am very sorry. Just don't take the hate you obviously feel for me out on my chapter, because most of it is good ol' Palex banter. I would say 'fluff' but that word brings an image of a fuzzy, pink, heart-shaped pillow to mind, and I'm not too big on those. The first half of it is Alex pondering subjects that pertain to the plot, but the other half is completely pointless...yet completely necessary, in my opinion. I simply felt that I couldn't create drama in every single chapter, so here's a bit of easy reading for all ye faithful to my SWC series. Enjoy.

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be okay? I don't have to leave if--"

"Paige, I'll be fine." She was reluctantly leaving my house to do some laundry and get food, since she had essentially been living at my house since my hospital visit. She had been waiting on me head and foot for days now, and even though her obsessive do-you-need-anything-ness had admittedly been getting on my nerves, it still made me melt inside.

Although I had had my favorite movies, ice cream and junk food--all provided by Paige--to keep me busy, I couldn't help but think about Jay. About whether I should forgive him, in a sense, for what he did by sending him to the world of therapy and meds, or I should give him jailtime, a punishment that probably everybody at Degrassi had wanted him to receive.

I was constantly going over it in my head. Jay inside a jail cell should, logically, equal my happiness. But then a second thought always forced its way into the equation.

The goddamn But You've Been Friends Forever card.

And that was true, we had been friends since what I thought was the beginning of time. I could still remember Jay and me in kindergarten, stealing some weakling's nap mat; in third grade, splitting the profits we would get from digging through the other kids' backpacks during recess; and seventh grade, when the first punch I ever threw was aimed at a nerd that Jay was holding still. He had bailed me out of trouble countless times, and was always there as a shoulder to cry on--especially in the aftermath of mine and Paige's first breakup.

In general, the thing that killed me was that I didn't know which Jay was more dominant--his good bipolar side or his bad one. Yeah, he could be a heartless jerk, but he could also be a hell of a nice guy. It was like choosing between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

My migraine-worthy mental dilemmas faded away as I zoned out, leaning sideways on the couch to got more comfortable. About an hour after my eyes drifted closed, the feeling of something being put around me opened them.

"Sorry, hon, I didn't mean to wake you," apologized Paige, back from her errands. She had just put a soft blanket over me and was now crouched in front of me.

I stretched slightly, refraining from moving my arm, which as still in a cast and hanging in a sling. That and a small scar on my forhead were the only reminders of what had happened. I smiled as I used my good hand to pull the blanket in tighter. "Don't worry about it," I replied, then yawned. "I almost went--" I glanced at the clock on the wall. "--a full hour without seeing you. If that minute hand had gotten to twelve…hello, apocalypse."

Paige rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her grin. "Well, I'm glad I could stop the world from ending. Let's celebrate with a Gossip Girl marathon!"

I groaned. "Are you kidding me? Look me square in the eye and tell me I would find that show even remotely interesting."

"Okay, you win that argument, but could you just please, please, _please _give it one teensy-weensy chance? For me?"

I mock-frowned. "I thought we were focusing on _my _needs." She put on her best puppy-eyed expression and didn't waver for an astonishing amount of time. That girl was tough.

"Okay, fine," I muttered in an agonized tone. "But only if you'll be my pillow." I leaned up as she sat at the end of the couch, then I rested my head on her lap. She began stroking my hair as she found the channel. She squealed with excitement when she found that we were just in time, which forced me to burst out laughing.

It was actually a pretty good show. Paige thought I had fallen asleep again, because when Serena's grandmother told Serena's boyfriend that he was basically trash and I muttered "You _bitch_!" she jumped. I glanced up at her with a questioning glance, ready to explain if she thought I had aimed that comment at her, but she just smiled.

"I knew you'd like it."

"What? I never said I liked the show," I exclaimed.

She gave me a cynical look. "Who is your favorite guy so far?"

"Chuck's cool in a badass sort of way, Nate is hot but he's too much of a baby and a whiner and Dan is cute and funny, so--" I stopped when I realized that I was rambling with too much knowledge of a show I wasn't supposed to be enjoying. I began forming the swearword that rhymed with the first guy's name, but instead I mumbled a pitiful "Whatever," and turned back to the tv screen.

Paige leaned down to kiss me on the cheek then continued playing with my hair. I gave my full attention to Gossip Girl, but when it ended and she switched to an America's Next Top Model rerun, I gave up.

"Forget it," I muttered without looking up. I rolled over and snuggled into her sweatshirt, grabbing a painkiller pill from the bottle in my pocket. I paused, remembering that I was never good at dry swallowing, and rose from the couch to get a bottle of water.

Paige, thinking that I was ditching her because of her choice of television programming, immediately turned the tv off and joined me in the kitchen.

"We don't have to watch tv, let's do something else," she suggested, amusingly gulty about wanting to do something that I didn't.

"Yeah? Like what?" I asked before sending the pill down.

Paige came over and leaned back against the island in front of me. "I don't know, what d'you want to do?"

I could see from the smile on her face that this was going to become a game. "I don't know, what do you wanna do?" I asked in an exaggerated, playful voice.

"I don't know--"

"Shut up already!" I said, laughing, then kissed her. I kept my mouth against hers for as long as I could, but a girl's gotta breathe.

Paige smiled slightly, her arms wrapping around my shoulders. "So _that's _what you want to do."

I play-punched her lightly in the stomach. "You're lucky you're hot." I kissed her again, wrapping my good arm around her waist. After a few moments, smiling against her lips, I squeezed her side. She jumped and let out a tiny screech, which sent me into my third laughing spree of the night.

"Alex!" she scolded mockingly.

"Come on, you know you love me," I replied innocently, this time wearing _my _puppy dog face. She just rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess so," she agreed as if she were a mother giving into her child's request.

"Wow, that was gushing with enthusiasm," I commented sarcastically.

"What about this?" she asked, then pulled me into a ferocious--in a good way--kiss. After what seemed like forever we broke apart, and I think she was just as dazed as I was.

"Yep, that'll do it," I said to break the silence. Paige said nothing, and instead put her hand under my chin to bring me closer.

Soon our mouths were together and open and going crazy, hands were around waists and shoulders and at sides, and all else in the world was forgotten.

It was the most delicious meal I had ever had.

* * *

Was that Gossip Girl reference amazing or what? I decided to brilliantly sneak that in there purely for my enjoyment because, as you may or may not have guessed, that show is my oh-so-guilty pleasure. One of my boyfriends is in it, too--Penn Badgley, aka Dan Humphrey. My other boyfriends are Shane Kippel and Edward (I feel that his last name, Cullen, is not necessary, because he is the most amazing and sexy fictional character this world has ever known and therefore needs only two syllables. But I'm getting off-topic here, why doesn't anybody tell me these things? I think you guys should stop reading this already and send some reviews my way so I know if I am or am not a complete failure. If it is against your religion to write reviews (and knowing America, I am willing to bet money that there's some kind of cult out there who believes exactly that) then feel free to email me: Wow, I can type that really fast! Also, let me know if it bothers you that my intros and conclusions are getting to be longer than the chapters themselves. Speaking of chapters...ish...REVIEW! 


	8. Chapter 8

I know, I know. You hate me because I too such a long time with this chapter. But now you're going to love me again because I made it extra long--only chapter five is longer. I've had a lot of schoolwork, especially with exams, and you guys are lucky to be getting this today because I have chemistry and economics tomorrow. Wish me luck. For the record, I have no idea how the technical caller ID stuff works, so just go with it. I think you guys might hate me after this chapter...I'm not sure, but I think so. Or you may just mildly dislike me. You'll know why once you've read it. Have fun.

* * *

My cast was itching like hell. I tried to snake in pencils, pens, spoons and even sandpaper, but none of it worked. I spent all day lying on my bed, my arm twitching every so often as I fantasized about the nagging sensation ceasing.

Paige had gone out again, this time to put in some hours at The Dot. She had lovingly used up every one of her sick days to take care of me, so she was stuck working nonstop until summer break. If she happened to catch a deadly illness between now and then, she wouldn't be able to get out of work. Her last words would be "Would you like fries with that?"

The phone ringing pulled me out of my most likely painkiller-induced thoughts. I grabbed the blaring piece of plastic and pushed the 'on' button.

"This is Alex."

There was hesitation on the other end. "Hey, it's me." I immediately recognized the voice as Jay's, and although my first instinct was to hang up on him, his somber and quiet tone stopped me.

"Jay. Pleasant surprise." I was sarcastic, but not viciously.

"Yeah." He paused, then continued somewhat awkwardly. "How are you doing?"

"Interesting question, coming from you."

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. About everything."

I didn't speak for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

"Listen, I didn't call you about that. Lexi, it's horrible here. I got a black eye on my first day and I've gotten jumped pretty much every other one. I can't live here much longer."

"I hate to break it to you, but it's not exactly my fault."

"Yeah, but you can get me out of here. Look, I know I'm the last person you want to have anything to do with, but I need you. I'll go insane in here…do you really think my mood swings are going to go away in jail?"

"Jay, you _assaulted _me. I can't just up and forgive you, act like nothing happened. I mean, what do you want me to tell you?"

I heard him sigh, then he was silent. "I don't know. I just want…I _need_--you to know that I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to you. Maybe I was myself, maybe I wasn't, but please know that I'm sorry."

I was stunned. I had never seen this side of Jay before. But what scared me was that I believed everything he had just told me. He hadn't given me excuses for what he had done, only apologized for it.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but Jay beat me to it.

"I have to go. I get one call a day and my time's up. Thank's for listening, Lexi."

"Wait, Jay!" I yelled into the phone, not meaning for my voice to be so loud. I could still hear him on the other line so I continued. "I have a lot of thinking to do, and I'm not sure how I feel about you right now. So here's the deal--I don't want you to call me unless it's an emergency or you absolutely need me."

"Got it--" was all I heard before the line went dead. I could imagine a prison guard pressing the hang-up button on the payphone with a smirk on his face because he had nothing else for entertainment except interrupting people's conversations.

I shook my head to clear it, wondering if these random thoughts were side effects of the meds I was on. After putting the phone back on the side table I closed my eyes and pressed my palms to them. This godforsaken decision on my plate had to be made by the end of the week, and I wasn't even close to making up my mind.

"Are you _serious_?" I tilted my head back in fake agony at Paige's announcement that she was throwing a Get Well Soon party for me. Apparently she had already invited everyone, which included Marco, Spinner, Ellie, Craig, Ashley and Jimmy. They were all coming over on Friday night, and since that was my deadline for my decision concerning Jay, Paige was driving me crazy in her planning frenzy. What I really wanted to do was just lie on the couch and think, but she would often burst into the room and begin talking fifty miles an hour about decorations, food, blah, blah, blah.

Time wasn't on my side, either. While the seconds dragged on when Paige was blabbing about the party, the clock took hour-long leaps when I finally had time alone. Friday came way too fast, and by the time people started arriving I was so stressed out that I had completely forgotten about my itchy arm. It wasn't in the sling anymore, and now the cast was plastered with stickers and covered in graffiti--half of it from my doodling away my boredom and the rest from various friends who had added their signatures with dramatic designs.

Despite my anxiety about Jay, I actually managed to have a little fun. I participated in conversations, acted like somewhat of a hostess, and I even beat Craig at Guitar Hero. I hated myself, though, because I was almost expecting Jay to call. I couldn't say I wanted him to, but I was still anxious like I had been since our last conversation.

When the phone did ring I was lounging on the couch while Jimmy drew a Squatch design on my cast. I jumped and made to sit up, but Paige appeared.

"No, no, you sit, I'll get it."

This was the first time I wished that the phone was in the room. Since it was in the bedroom, I couldn't hear what Paige was saying. I strained my ears over the noise of the party, but she returned within a minute.

"Hey, who was it?" I asked.

"Just a telemarketer," she replied, pushing a few buttons on the phone before setting it on the table.

"Was it that Japanese guy that called last week?"

"I'm not sure," she said, grinning. "Whatever accent it was was so heavy that I could only make out 'special offer' and 'nineteen ninety-five.'"

"That's a shame. They usually make for great conversation."

She laughed and shoved some chips into her mouth before heading to the kitchen for some more soda.

After the food was gone and countless guitar battles were fought, everyone finally started heading home. Only Jimmy stayed behind to put the final touches on his cast art. I could hear Paige washing dishes in the kitchen. Did she _ever_ do anything unproductive?

"So," Jimmy began, speaking in his trademark quiet, calm voice. "Paige told me about your situation with Jay."

Figures. I guess Paige having a big mouth was sometimes a bad thing. "What do you know?" I meant this in the literal meaning.

"That you have to decide by tonight whether or not to press charges." He paused, his eyes leaving his drawing and looking into mine. "Have you decided yet?"

"Surprisingly, no."

"Why do you say that?" How 'Jimmy' of him. I say something meant to be sarcastic, and he keeps asking questions.

"I don't know," I answered lamely. I was holding back in my answer, and I think he knew that because he didn't say anything. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He called me a few days ago. He said it's horrible there, and he doesn't know how much longer he can take it."

He once again said nothing, and the words began tumbling out. "On the other hand, if I just give him therapy I'll feel like I forgave him in a way. I don't know if I'm ready to do that."

"Why aren't you?"

Such a simple question, yet I felt my eyes burning with forming tears. Stupid eyes.

"He hurt me," I replied, letting out a small laugh. "That seems like a pretty damn good reason to me."

"You don't think you should give him a second chance?"

Figures that he would be the one to ask me that. It also figures that I have no idea how to answer it. I thought about it.

"Would you give Rick a second chance?"

Jimmy looked back down, his jaw muscles clenching. I got nervous when he didn't answer.

"Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

I was about to get up when he put his hand on my arm. "No, no, it's okay." He hesitated for a moment, but gave a small sigh and looked into my eyes again. "I would. He didn't know the truth about what had happened, and he didn't know I was innocent. I can't blame him for that."

He rolled back in his wheelchair to admire his finished work. "Listen, I gotta go. Thanks for the party, it was fun. As he made his way toward the door I jumped up and opened it for him.

"Thanks, Jimmy." I hesitated. "You really are the wisest person I know." I cracked a smile. "Thank you, o wise elder for sharing your wisdom with me." We both laughed and I shut the door behind him.

Out of curiosity I picked up the phone off the table and scrolled though the caller ID list. I frowned when there was nothing in the call log from when the phone rang during the party. I thought back and remembered that Paige had pressed a few buttons before setting it down, and guessed that she had erased the call from the phone's memory. But why would she do that for a telemarketer?

I put the phone back down and ventured down the hall, where the other phone sat on a small table against the wall. I knew it also had caller ID so I picked it up and looked through the calls log. My heart jumped when I saw it.

* * *

Yeah, that's right. Cliff-hanger for Kelsey. The reasons I suspect you guys might hate me right now are one, because she _still _has _not decided_. I figure I'll stretch it out as long as possible, just to keep you guys reading. Two, because I wrote a cliff-hanger ending. I had originally typed a longer ending that was not a cliff-hanger, but then I read it again, and I was like "Oh my _gosh_. I should _totally end _it _there_." And so the cliff-hanger was born. Let me know what you guys think. Let's see if we can get up to sixty reviews. That's "60" if you prefer numbers over letters. I have a feeling this wasn't my best chapter, although I had fun with the Jimmy/Alex conversation. It was fun to write for the Jimster, just because he wasn't Paige or Alex or Jay for once. Adios, and I hope you had a pleasureful reading experience. _Wow_, that sounded smart. Pounds chest twice and makes a sideways peace sign 


	9. Chapter 9

I'm completely and uberly sorry for the uber-long wait and I thank you from the bottom of my heart if you have decided to keep putting up with me. I've just had tons of things going on, and school is taking up most of my time...but you don't want excuses. So listen--this chapter is pretty short, but it is mostly fluff because I figured you guys deserved some before we delved back into the serious stuff. I had great fun writing this if I do say so myself, so I hope you all enjoy it as well.

* * *

I slowly entered the kitchen, not wanting to believe what my brain was putting together. I was still trying to decide whether to play it casual and work up to it or just confront Paige, but I finally chose the former.

"That was quite the rager," I commented, leaning sideways against the piece of counter next to her. She looked up from the dishes with a huge smile on her face.

"I'm glad you had fun…you definitely needed it." She gave me a peck on the cheek, then proceeded to load the remainder of the dishes into the dishwasher. She closed the door, started the wash cycle and turned to face me full-on. "Now that everyone's gone…" She trailed off in a suggestive way, then kissed me full on the lips. My hands automatically went for her waist but I managed to catch myself before they made contact.

"Paige, I wanted--" I started, but she cut me off with another kiss as she edged me backwards toward the bedroom. Her hands were already pulling up my shirt when we hit the bed, my knees buckling against the mattress as she came down with me.

I couldn't think straight as I inhaled her scent, her hair brushing my neck. What was I talking about before? We were under the covers now, still fully-clothed. I was digging through my memory, trying to remember what I wanted to ask Paige. It was just coming up when her tongue slid against mine, and then it was gone again. A girl just can't think under these conditions.

Paige and I had two types of makeout sessions. The first involved kissing, followed by touching, followed by loss of clothing, among other things. The second was simply kissing and exploring one another, trying to figure out the right places. This particular night happened to be the second.

Warm hands were drifting up my shirt. I was pretty sure mine were exploring Paige's back, though I was also sure that I had no control over them at the moment. I managed to clear my head a little when she went down to my neck.

Then I remembered. "Jay called." I felt Paige hesitate, but she kept going. I gripped her shoulders and pushed her up to make eye contact. "Paige, why didn't you give me the phone?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked quietly, innocently, before attacking my mouth again.

"During the party--" Another kiss. "The phone rang--" More kisses. "The caller ID--"

"Shhh," she whispered, finally ceasing for a moment. I opened my mouth to speak again but she put her finger against my lips. "Hey, there's time for talking tomorrow." She was speaking in a soft, mildly seductive voice, one that was definitely winning the battle against my brain. I put in one last (albeit feeble) attempt to say something, but then her lips were on mine and her tongue was in my mouth again.

I would spew out some clever saying to justify my surrender to Paige, but the truth is, there was none. I knew what she had done, that she I knew I knew, and that she probably didn't realize how much it had hurt me.

But I savored this night of bliss, letting my mind wander as Paige's hands did the same. As she had said, there would be time for talking in the morning.

I would enjoy what happened tonight, because based on what I expected to come, there wouldn't be another quite like this for a while.

And it was so much easier to be angry with Paige when our tongues weren't doing the electric slide.

* * *

Did everyone like that last line? At first I put the tango instead of the slide but I figured the latter made more sense. I don't blame anybody if they don't want to review, but if you feel like it it would be much appreciated. The next chapter with the real stuff will be up within the next few days, if not today or tomorrow. Again, I am _really really really completely totally uberly _sorry for the wait. Especially after a cliffhanger chapter. Will you ever forgive me? 


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